S&P 500 COT Report

The Commitment of Traders (COT) report shows how the largest traders are positioned in S&P 500 futures each week. The CFTC splits open interest into speculators (managed money) and commercial hedgers, so you can see who is leaning which way. Tracking when S&P 500 speculative positioning reaches an extreme, and how speculators line up against commercials, is one of the most widely followed sentiment tools in futures.

What drives S&P 500 positioning

In equity index futures, asset managers and dealers hedge exposure while leveraged funds trade direction, so an extreme in S&P 500 speculative positioning often marks a sentiment extreme. S&P 500 positioning reflects the broad equity cycle, Fed policy and earnings. Asset managers carry large hedging positions while leveraged funds trade direction, so the two tell different stories.

How to read the S&P 500 COT report

In S&P 500, read the 52-week z-score by trader type, since asset-manager hedges and leveraged-fund directional bets move differently: a high positive net reading is crowded long, a deeply negative one crowded short. The positioning regime distinguishes a trending tape from a stretched, reversal-prone one. Read S&P positioning by trader type, because asset-manager hedges and leveraged-fund directional bets diverge, and extremes mark sentiment rather than timing. New to this? Start with how to read the COT report.

COTInsight scores S&P 500 on nine analytical layers every week, the moment the CFTC data lands: the 52-week z-score, the 3-year COT Index, regime classification, price-versus-positioning divergence, open-interest trend and more, with up to ten years of history so you can see how today compares to every prior extreme.

S&P 500 COT report FAQ

Which CFTC report covers S&P 500?

S&P 500 positioning comes from the CFTC Traders in Financial Futures (TFF) report, which splits S&P 500 positioning into Dealer/Intermediary, Asset Manager, Leveraged Funds and Other Reportables. COTInsight reads it directly from the CFTC every week.

When is the S&P 500 COT report updated?

The CFTC releases the Commitments of Traders report every Friday at 3:30pm ET, reflecting positions as of the prior Tuesday. COTInsight recomputes the S&P 500 z-score, COT Index and regime the moment the data lands.

Is S&P 500 COT positioning bullish or bearish right now?

The COT report is a positioning and sentiment gauge, not a direct buy or sell signal: it shows whether speculators are crowded long or short in S&P 500. COTInsight scores this week's S&P 500 reading on a 52-week z-score, a 3-year COT Index and a positioning regime. Start a free 7-day trial to see the current reading.

Learn more

• COT for S&P 500 traders
• How to read the COT report
• COT z-score explained
• COT regime detection
• All COT market pages